Samantha Price ENGL 1102-105 Mrs.

Cathy Mahaffey 28 January 2013

Exigence The topic that Ive chosen deals with a new species of primate discovered in 2004 in Indonesia. They are believed to be our ancestors, and may be a link between Homo sapiens and Lucy, an Australopithecus afarensis. As a species, we are constantly looking for the ancestry of our species and any new additions are always an exciting find. This topic should be of interest to everyone. To be able to trace where we as a species came from is very important so that we may be able to predict where we are going. There could be certain allele frequency within their genome that could explain certain phenomena within our own genome. For example,they could have had an allele that can fight off cancer, or type II diabetes, etc. The idea that there is a link between a 3.2 million year old ancestor and modern humans is fantastically intriguing. I know that I cannot expect everyone to be jumping up and down at the thought of an extinct species; however, as far as better understanding our own possibilities and possibly figure out developmental similarities and differences can only help modern humans as a whole. Inquiry My original research question is: What are the possibilities of this new primate eradicating diseases for future generations. , which could also lead into questions such as, What links Lucy to modern humans in the first place? and what if this new species has an allele frequency within their genome that explains certain phenomena within our own?

Method I plan to begin my project with a little bit of primary research. I want to know how others feel about the topic. I want to know if they even believe in evolution. I want some feedback. So Ill start off with a survey simply asking how they feel about the idea of finding another link to the modern human family tree. After the survey is completed I will mainly use secondary research in the form of scholarly articles and lab reports. Plan of Action: January 29th- Send out survey through Mrs. mahaffey February 4th- harvest data - go to Atkins

February 6th- Go through Google Scholar to find credible sources - need 4 - do this at Atkins February 10th -Find rest of sources and begin to compile them into the Annotated bibliography.